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In 2013, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be celebrating 125 years of outstanding musicianship with numerous musical performances for audiences all over the globe. The RCO is embarking on a world tour in 2013, visiting six continents in a single year – the very first orchestra ever to do so: Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.
It will also be giving seventy-one concerts at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, its home base, including an Anniversary Concert on 3 November and a concert celebrating its joint anniversary with the Concertgebouw on 10 April. On 24 August, the orchestra will be performing an outdoor concert on a pontoon on the Prinsengracht, one of the most famous Dutch canals, which themselves will turn 400 years old in 2013.
Even if the orchestra isn’t visiting your neighbourhood, you can still enjoy the RCO via radio and television broadcasts, webcasts, Facebook and CD recordings. Not to mention RCO Universe, a new innovative online application which is being launched in 2013, allowing you to enjoy the orchestra at any time, no matter where you are in the world. This publication provides as complete an overview as possible of all the orchestra’s anniversary activities.
Over the course of the anniversary year, you can stay up to date by checking the orchestra’s website, rcoamsterdam.com.
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Celebrates 125th Anniversary
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Departure to the United States in 1961
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The world tour consists of forty-eight concerts in thirty cities and is divided into seven parts. In between its travels, the orchestra will be returning to Amsterdam to give its regular subscription concerts, as well as various special anniversary performances.
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra plays a leading musical role in society both nationally and internationally. Globally, the orchestra ranks among those few leading cultural institutions that set an example in the areas of performance and programming, as affirmed in 2008 when the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra was hailed as ‘the World’s Greatest Orchestra’ by the respected magazine Gramophone.
With Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, wife of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, serving as the orchestra’s patroness, its long-standing relationship with the Dutch royal family and leading international corporate networks has been firmly embedded in the orchestra’s history and future. The orchestra will be working with embassies and the national and international business community to coordinate other events around the concerts.
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is celebrating its 125th anniversary on a truly global scale. The orchestra will be travelling the world over in 2013 to give concerts of the highest possible calibre. Never before has the RCO been to Africa or Australia. It will also be travelling to places it has not visited in a very long time. Its concerts in Russia, where the orchestra has toured only once before – in 1974 –, have also been scheduled to coincide with the Russia–the Netherlands Bilateral Year. In South America, where it last performed in 1998, the RCO will be stopping off in Brazil and Argentina, and will even be giving a free open-air concert, among other performances, in São Paulo.
Why a world tour? The RCO’s managing director Jan Raes says, ‘Music is a unifying force. It brings people together. The orchestra is an important cultural representative of Amsterdam and of the Netherlands. It is a standard-bearer for European symphonic culture and is frequently invited to perform in the world’s leading concert halls. We’re proud of that and want to share it with everyone. Made up of 120 musicians – of whom around seventy are Dutch, the remaining fifty hailing from other countries all over the world –, the orchestra represents over twenty nationalities in all. You could say it truly reflects the world we live in.’
World Tour
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Mariss Jansons
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RepeRtoiReWhile on tour, the orchestra will be performing compositions that have played an important role in its history, as well as works connected to the year of its foundation, 1888. These include Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, Lutosławski’s Mi-Parti and Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, compositions which were dedicated to the orchestra. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, composed in 1888, is also being performed. Also featured are works by composers who made guest appearances with the orchestra on more than one occasion, such as Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3; Mahler’s Symphonies No. 1 (completed in 1888), No. 2 and No. 9; Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; and Richard Strauss’s Tod und Verklärung, which the composer started work on in 1888. The Symphony No. 7 by Bruckner, in whose work the orchestra specialises, takes pride of place. The tour will also feature performances of works including Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 and Symphony No. 7, Benzecry’s Rituales Amerindios, Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9 and Lieberson’s Neruda Songs. The RCO will also be taking along Dutch repertoire: two overtures by Johan Wagenaar, who conducted the orchestra several times.
education and MasteRclassesWhere possible, members of the orchestra will be engaging with educational institutions and young, talented musicians, whom they will be coaching in masterclasses. In South Africa, the RCO will be organising an education project focusing on Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. A new text will be written to accompany this beautiful musical fairy tale. The orchestra will be engaging with several schools which will actively participate in the project and will even be sharing the stage with a local children’s choir.
paRtneRsING, KLM and Unilever are Global Partners of the world tour. This unique initiative is made possible in part by their support.
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tRavel plan
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instalMent 1 euRope and the united states
Frankfurt: Sunday, 27 JanuaryVienna: Monday, 28 JanuaryVienna: Tuesday, 29 January
Brussels: Thursday, 31 JanuaryLuxembourg: Friday, 1 February
Paris: Saturday, 2 FebruaryLisbon: Monday, 4 FebruaryMadrid: Tuesday, 5 February
Madrid: Wednesday, 6 FebruaryWashington: Tuesday, 12 FebruaryNew York: Wednesday, 13 FebruaryNew York: Thursday, 14 February
instalMent 2 afRica
Cape Town: Saturday, 9 MarchDurban: Sunday, 10 March Durban: Monday, 11 March
(education project)Pretoria: Tuesday, 12 March
instalMent 3 euRope
Cologne: Friday, 7 JuneParis: Saturday, 8 June
instalMent 6 euRope
Bucharest: Saturday, 21 September Bucharest: Sunday, 22 September
instalMent 7 euRope, asia and austRalia
St Petersburg: Friday, 8 NovemberMoscow: Saturday, 9 NovemberMoscow: Sunday, 10 November
China: Wednesday, 13 November China: Thursday, 14 NovemberTokyo: Saturday, 16 November
Kawasaki: Sunday, 17 NovemberTokyo: Monday, 18 NovemberPerth: Thursday, 21 November
Perth: Friday, 22 NovemberBrisbane: Sunday, 24 November Brisbane: Monday, 25 November
Melbourne: Tuesday, 26 November Melbourne: Wednesday, 27 November
Sydney: Friday, 29 NovemberSydney: Saturday, 30 November
Sydney: Sunday, 1 December
instalMent 4 south aMeRica
São Paulo: Sunday, 23 June (open-air concert)
São Paulo: Monday, 24 JuneSão Paulo: Tuesday, 25 June
Rio de Janeiro: Wednesday, 26 JuneBuenos Aires: Friday, 28 June
Buenos Aires: Saturday, 29 June
instalMent 5 euRope
Edinburgh: Friday, 30 AugustLuxembourg: Saturday, 31 August
Lucerne: Sunday, 1 SeptemberLucerne: Tuesday, 3 September
Berlin: Wednesday, 4 SeptemberGrafenegg: Thursday, 5 September
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peRfoRMeRs and RepeRtoiRe
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instalMent 1 euRope and the united states
Mariss Jansons, conductorLeonidas Kavakos, violin
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2Bruckner: Symphony No. 7Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Strauss: Tod und VerklärungTchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Wagenaar: Overture De getemde feeks
instalMent 2 afRica
Charles Dutoit, conductorOtto Tausk, conductor (education project)
Janine Jansen, violinBeethoven: Symphony No. 7
Prokofiev: Peter and the WolfTchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Wagenaar: Overture Cyrano de Bergerac
instalMent 3 euRope
Gustavo Dudamel, conductorChristianne Stotijn, soprano
Benzecry: Illapa from Rituales AmerindiosDvorák: Symphony No. 9Lieberson: Neruda Songs
instalMent 4 south-aMeRica
Mariss Jansons, conductorDenis Matsuev, pianoEnescu: Rhapsody No. 1Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Prokofiev: excerpts from Romeo and JulietRachmaninoff: Rhapsody on
a Theme of PaganiniJohann Strauss the Younger: Persian March
Strauss: Tod und VerklärungTchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Verdi: Overture to La forza del destinoVilla-Lobos: Toccata
from Bachianas brasileiras no. 2Wagenaar: Overture De getemde feeks
instalMent 5euRope
Daniele Gatti, conductorBartók: Piano Concerto No. 3
Lutosławski: Mi-PartiMahler: Symphony No. 9
Prokofiev: excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
instalMent 6 euRope
Mariss Jansons, conductorEmanuel Ax, piano
Lisa Batiashvili, violinBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3
Enescu: Rhapsody No. 1Prokofiev: excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
Stravinsky: Suite from The Firebird
instalMent 7 euRope, asia and austRalia
Mariss Jansons, conductorEmanuel Ax, piano
Yefim Bronfman, pianoVeronika Dzhioeva, soprano
Anna Larsson, contraltoLatvian Radio Choir
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3Mahler: Symphony No. 2Strauss: Ein Heldenleben
Stravinsky: Suite from The FirebirdTchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Wagenaar: Overture De getemde feeks
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Repertoire in Amsterdam‘To commemorate our anniversary year, we wanted to commission works by two renowned composers – one in and one outside the Netherlands,’ says Joel Ethan Fried, Director of Artistic Administration. ‘When the Concertgebouw’s Board of Directors heard of this, they decided to make us a present of these two works. Magnus Lindberg knows the orchestra well, and the orchestra has performed several of his compositions in the past. He is writing a new work for the Opening Concert in January. We’re also very proud indeed that Louis Andriessen, the Netherlands’ best-known composer, has accepted the orchestra’s commission. Andriessen hasn’t written music for very large ensemble in a very long time. Having always been interested in Eastern sounds and percussion timbres, he is taking inspiration from our extended collection of percussion instruments, particularly the plate bells. The orchestra will be performing his new work on the official Anniversary Concert in November. The Concertgebouw and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be holding a joint celebration during their Jubilee Concert in April. Here, too, a newly commissioned work will be performed to mark this very special occasion. We have asked Bob Zimmerman to compose a set of variations on a Dutch folk song called “Komt vrienden in het ronden” (Come, Friends, Gather Round).’
Throughout the year, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will be performing compositions that have played an important role in its history, as well as works connected to the year of its foundation, 1888. The anniversary year will be framed by two Christmas Matinee performances on Christmas Day. With its renowned Passion tradition, the orchestra will be breathing new life into its traditional Palm Sunday concert with a performance of Frank Martin’s Golgotha in March. In April, as part of the Jubilee Concert, all the RCO’s chief conductors from the last fifty years – Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons and Riccardo Chailly – will be appearing with the orchestra. Other artistic highlights include the concerts commemorating Wagner’s 200th birthday featuring Mariss Jansons and Wagner singers Eva-Maria Westbroek and Burkhard Fritz in April, and a complete performance of Der fliegende Holländer in concert version, conducted by Andris Nelsons, in May. Also in May, the Beethoven Series gets under way with Iván Fischer. And in June, Gustavo Dudamel is conducting the orchestra once again. The Requiem ritual is being continued in September with a performance of the Verdi Requiem (Verdi, like Wagner, was also born 200 years ago) featuring chief conductor Mariss Jansons. In November, exactly 125 years after the very first official concert the orchestra gave, it will be performing the Anniversary Concert.
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In 2013, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is launching RCO Universe – a new, innovative online application consisting of a unique collection of concert recordings by the orchestra. Once RCO Universe has been launched, the audio and video streams of a selection of concerts will be made available shortly after the live performances have been given. Recordings will be complemented by a wealth of additional information. For instance, as you watch and listen, you’ll be able to follow along in the score. The app will also provide access to interviews, documentaries and background information. The new app will allow you to enjoy the orchestra no matter where you are, whenever you like.
RCO Universe: For Young Listeners and Future Generations
RCO Universe will provide current and future generations of music lovers with cutting-edge access to the orchestra. Knowledge of, and information about, music, in addition to intense, exciting concert experiences, can be accessed anywhere in the world at any time. By launching the app, the orchestra is intentionally targeting young listeners in an effort to fire their enthusiasm for classical music and build a solid relationship with them.
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Preparations for a tour to Interlaken, July 1946
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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1888 – 2013The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is one of the very best orchestras in the world. In 2008, it was lauded by the authoritative UK music magazine Gramophone as the ‘best orchestra in the world’. Its widely acclaimed sound clearly stands out among thousands of others and is due in part to the unique acoustics of the Concertgebouw itself. The influence exerted on the orchestra by its chief conductors, of whom there have been only six in the last 125 years, is also important, as is that of the musicians themselves. The RCO is made up of 120 players hailing from over twenty countries. Despite its size, the orchestra actually functions more like a chamber orchestra. Indeed, this requires both a high individual calibre and a great sense of mutual trust and confidence. The musicians also share the aim of achieving and delivering the highest level of quality at every performance, an ambition that goes far beyond simply playing all the notes perfectly. Consequently, every performance is an opportunity to let audiences hear the unhearable, feel the unfeelable and touch the untouchable. That’s when magic happens and a concert becomes a truly unforgettable experience.The Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, as it was then known, was founded as part of Het Concertgebouw NV in 1888. The two organisations formally split into separate
entities in 1951, and the orchestra changed its name to the Concertgebouw Orchestra. On the occasion of its 100th anniversary in 1988, the orchestra officially received the appellation ‘Royal’. In addition to some ninety concerts performed at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra gives forty concerts at leading concert halls throughout the world each year. The orchestra participates in residencies in Paris (Salle Pleyel), Brussels (BOZAR) and London (Barbican Centre). In countries where the RCO performs on a regular basis music lovers make the effort to support the orchestra. RCO Friends in the United States of America, Switzerland, England, Belgium and France not only materially support the orchestra, but they also take on the role of ambassadors for the orchestra. The orchestra reaches some 250,000 concert-goers a year, and its performances are regularly broadcast on radio and television by its media partner, the Dutch AVRO network. The RCO also has an ever-growing number of Facebook fans. To date, the orchestra has made over 1,100 LP, CD and DVD recordings, many of which have won international distinctions. In 2004, the orchestra launched its own in-house record label, RCO Live. Her Royal Highness Princess Máxima is the orchestra’s patroness.
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www.Rcolive.coM
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Anniversary Seriesand EventsFrom highlights of the repertoire performed by the orchestra in 2013, an Anniversary Series is being created. Series tickets will go on sale at the end of August 2012 – the perfect opportunity for you to reserve a seat at the Opening Concert on 17 January and the Anniversary Concert on 3 November. Please consult our website for information on special anniversary events and initiatives, such as the Three Generation Initiative. When you and two other people attend an RCO performance together and your combined ages equal exactly 125 years, you will receive an anniversary gift. The youngest concert-goers will always receive something extra.
For up-to-date information, log on to rcoamsterdam.com/125.
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The Concertgebouw Orchestra and Willem Mengelberg in 1907
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Anniversary PublicationsRoyal conceRtgebouw oRchestRa aMsteRdaM 1888-2013A picture is worth a thousand words. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam 1888–2013 explores the orchestra’s illustrious history in photographs preserved in the archives and new material produced by contemporary photographers. Browse the album and discover how the orchestra has evolved over time.Scheduled for publication in December 2012
histoRy in MusicAll seven volumes of the widely acclaimed Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra are being released as part of a single deluxe CD box set to commemorate the orchestra’s anniversary. This is your opportunity to enjoy the orchestra’s complete history in music right in the comfort of your own home. The first four individually released volumes are now sold out.Scheduled for release in the summer of 2013 on the RCO Live label
digital conceRt aRchivesOn 3 November 2013, exactly 125 years after its very first official concert, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is launching an online database containing virtually all historical concert data since its inception. What works were performed on that first concert? Did the chief conductors show a preference for a particular composer? Why not browse the digital concert archives and find out?Many thanks are due to Nico Steffen, who has allowed the editors the use of his extensive archive on the history of the orchestra and its chief conductors.Launch scheduled for 3 November 2013
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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Jacob Obrechtstraat 51 | 1071 kj Amsterdam P.O. Box 78098 | 1070 lp Amsterdam
[email protected] +31 20 305 10 10
www.rcoamsterdam.comwww.AAAserie.nl
folluw us on
Single tickets
Concertgebouw Line +31 900 671 83 45Open daily from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Calls cost € 1,- each.
All concerts in Amsterdam are given in the Main Hall of the Concertgebouw,Concertgebouwplein 2–6 | Amsterdam
Program subject to alterations
Compilation: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Graphic design: Atelier René Knip and Rens Martens
Lithography and printing: Calff & Meischke
Translation: Josh Dillon
The photographs presented in this brochure are by:
Marco Borggreve, Simon van Boxtel, Hanya Chlala, Frances Capatella, KLM/MAI, Ronald Knapp
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